The invention relates to photography and photographic equipment and more particularly relates to hybrid cameras and methods in which electronic images are downloaded with reduced metadata.
A continuing problem in the manipulation of digital images has been the size of the images relative to the capacity of the infrastructure required to manipulate those images. This particularly relates to bandwidth of network connections, but also relates to such things as the speed of connected communication ports of cameras and computers. This problem has led to digital camera users physically transferring removable memory elements to obtain photofinishing. This has the inconveniences of transferring film and, unlike photographic film, in many cases also risks damage or loss to an expensive memory element. This risk is resolved by some hybrid cameras which allow for the transfer of archival images in a film unit and at the same time provide immediate image review and electronic image downloading. In hybrid cameras, electronic images can be limited to a lower resolution than corresponding archival images so as to increase the speed of downloading. This is helpful, but further reductions in the time required for downloading are desirable.
Hybrid electronic-film cameras allow photographers to capture scene images (the light images of particular scenes) as latent images on photographic film and as electronic images that are digitized and stored in memory. Metadata corresponding to the images is also written to the memory and film. Some or all of the metadata can relate to photofinishing of the film. The electronic images are retained in the memory until being overwritten or being removed, such as by withdrawal of a removable memory unit. The electronic images are made available for use by downloading into a computer or other device. The photographer is generally allowed to view electronic images in the memory of the camera. It is currently impractical to supply so much memory in a hybrid camera that all electronic images that a photographer is likely to have an interest in reviewing indefinitely remain available for the photographer to review. Thus, some electronic images in the memory must be overwritten when later images are captured. It is desirable to delay the overwriting of earlier images so that the user will have as long as possible to review those images. Photofinishing metadata recorded in a film unit is used in the photofinishing of that film unit.
The C, H, and P print formats of APS film can be recorded on a respective APS film unit as magnetically recorded metadata on a layer of the filmstrip. APS cameras are available that allow some magnetically recorded metadata for an image to be changed after capture of that image. For example, the number of prints wanted can be changed or set to zero.
It would thus be desirable to provide improved cameras and methods in which photofinishing metadata can be changed after image capture and downloaded images are reduced in size.
The invention is defined by the claims. The invention, in its broader aspects, provides cameras and methods, in which a plurality of image pairs are captured. Each image pair has an archival image of a scene and an electronic image of the same scene. The electronic images are stored in camera memory. Photofinishing metadata and image metadata is generated for the image pairs. One or more of the electronic images are downloaded to provide downloaded files. Photofinishing metadata is excluded from the downloaded files.
It is an advantageous effect of the invention that improved cameras and methods are provided in which photofinishing metadata is stored in memory and can be changed after image capture, but photofinishing metadata is removed from downloaded images.